Shipping and display container for cartoned goods



June 29, 1965 E H, SSSSSS ER 3,191,769

FIG.

United States Patent O "ice 3,191,769 SHEPING ANI) DISPLAY CONTAINER FR CARTONED GDS Erwell H. Schroder, Pipestone, Minn., assigner to Armour and lCompany, Chicago, Ill., a corporation of Delaware Filed May 2, 1963, Ser. No. 277,580 6 Claims. (El. 20e-65) This invention relates to a shipping container and display container for cartoned goods, and more particularly to a shipping and display package especially useful in the shipping of cartoned eggs and like fragile products.

In the shipping and selling of cartoned eggs, it was been the practice to employ rectangila-r iiber shipping cases in which the cartoned eggs are placed, and upon the arrival of the case at the place of sale, the cartons of eggs have to be removed and stamped with the price prevailing at the time of stamping and then the cartons are set on display. This is a very slow and laborious procedure and unfortunately eggs are broken in the handling operation. More recently, a metal basket container has been employed, andy while such a container has the advantage of strength, nevertheless the labor costs remain high and it is necessary to return the baskets from the store to the source of supply. Further, questions of sanitation have been raised with respect to such open-type containers, and the problem of removal and stamping with price indicia remains as the main problem.

A object of the present invention is to provide a package which permits rapid pricing as of the date of sale and the display of the cartons to the consumer without requiring handling of the cartons by the store personnel. A still further object is to provide a method and means for impressing price indicia or other indicia upon the egg carton or other carton without requiring removal of the carton from its shipping container. A still further object is to provide means for anchoring the cartons in rigid position during stamping while also releasing such anchoring means to permit ready removal of the cartons by the customer. Other specific objects and advantages will appear as the specication proceeds.

The invention is shown, in illustrative embodiments, by the accompanying drawings, in which- FIG. l is a perspective view of a case showing one embodiment of the invention; FIG. 2, a top plan view of a case filled with egg cartons; FIG. 3, a longitudinal sectional View showing a modied form of tensioning or anchoring liner; and FIG. 4, a perspective view of a modified form of shipping and display container.

In the illustration given in FEGS. l and 2, 1) designates a case, which may be formed of fiber, corrugated board, plastic, or any other suitable material, the carton having longitudinal sides 11 and 12 and having side flaps 13 and end ilaps 14. The exterior of the shipping container is preferably oyster white, and the interior is preferably bleached white, thus providing a container which is adapted for display as well as shipment, presenting an attractive appearance at the point of sale.

The side 11 is provided with aperture 15 on onehalf of the side, and the side 12 is provided with similar apertures 16 on one-half of the side 12, the apertured portions of the two sides being not in alignment.

The apertures and 16 are preferably of about one inch diameter and are adapted to receive the usual cylindrical price stamping instrument. As shown, the apertures are arranged in vertically spaced relation.

As shown best in FIGS. 2 and 3, the egg cartons 17 or other types of cartons are stacked one upon the other in the manner illustrated, and each carton is aligned with one of the apertures 15 or 16 so that the end of the carton can be stamped with price indicia or other indicia.

3,191,769 Fatented June 29, 1965 In order to anchor the cartons in true alignment with the apertures 15 or 16, there is provided a liner member 18 which may be in the form of the letter Z (or S), as shown in FIG. 2, or a liner 19 which may be in the form of the letter T, as illustrated in FIG. 3. The liners not only provide a vertical support for strengthening the case, but also press the cartons into true alignment with the apertures and maintain them rigidly in position so that they may be stamped with the price indicia, etc.

After the packaged products reach the store or merchandising center, the personnel can readilystamp the prevailing price upon the individual cartons through the apertures 15 and 16 and the case, after being opened, can be set within a refrigerated display area. The anchoring liners 18 or 19 can then be removed, leaving the cartons in position for ready removal by the customer.

In the structure shown in FIG. 2, the liner 18 has a vertical portion 18a extending opposite opposite the apertures 15 of side 11 and a vertical portion 18h eX- tending opposite the apertures 16 of side 12. Thus the legs 18a and 18,5 replace the strength of the apertured container sides, providing rigid supports opposite such sides, while at the same time the central transverse leg of liner 18 presses the carton 17 laterally, and the cartons are held firmly in position for receiving the pressure of the stamping tool or instrument, enabling the store personnel to rapidly price the individual cartons within the case. Thereafter, when the case is on exhibit in the refrigerated area, removal of the liner 13 provides loose and readily accessible cartons for removal by the customer.

In the modification illustrated in FIG. 4, the carton 13a has both longitudinal sides provided with apertures Ztl which are uniformly distributed over the two sides and at levels so that each of the stacked cartons will have an end adjacent an aperture for receiving the stamped indica. With such a case, the T-type liner 19 may be effectively used for reinforcing the case and without interfering with the spaced apertures 20.

With the foregoing case and carton arrangements, relatively cheap iiber, etc. cases may be employed and which may be thrown away after use, while at the same time requiring no handling of the individual cartons during the rapid pricing and display of the case and its contents. The liners 18 and 19 are useful during shipment in giving the necessary support to the cartons, While also at the store destination serving to anchor the individual cartons in aligned position with the apertures and with suicient rigid support to enable the cartons to be effectively stamped, while, upon the removal of the liners, the individual cartons can be readily lifted from the case. Breakage of fragile products such as eggs and other like products is avoided to a large extent because no longer is it necessary to remove the cartons for stamping with the days price or other indicia, and there is a substantial saving in labor and time. The shipping and display container can be moved directly from the refrigerated truck to a refrigerated display area, the cartons stamped in situ, and the case opened for removal of the liners and display to customers.

While in the foregoing specification I have set forth specific embodiments of the invention to considerable detail for the purpose of illustrating the invention, it will be understood that such detail or details may be varied widely by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit of my invention.

I claim:

1. A shipping and display package, comprising a generally rectangular case having longitudinal sides provided with small spaced openings adapted to receive indicia-stamping instruments, cartons stacked upon each other in said case with their ends adjacent said apertured sides and with an end of each carton adjacent one of said openings, and a removable pressure line extending centrally and transversely of said case between said vertically-stacked cartons and anchoring the same in rigid alignment with said openings, said liner being removable Ato free said cartons for removal.

2. The `structure of Vclaim 1 in which about one-half of said openings are in one of said case sides and the 'remaining openings are in the other side of said case.

3. The structure of 'claim 2 in which the pressure liner is generally Z-shaped, having Vone wing portion extending longitudinally along one side `*portion of the case and another Wing portion extending along the opposite side of the case in non-transverse alignment with Vsaid rst- 'rnentioned wing portion.

4. The structure of claim 3V in which the spaced openings in one side of the case are restricted to Van area oppositera wing portion of said liner and the spaced openings inthe other side of said case are restricted to an area opposite the other wing of said liner.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 in which the 'spaced openings on one side of said. case are vertically disposed on one-half of said side, and the openings on the other side of said case are similarly arranged on one side thereof which is not transversely aligned with the openings of said rst-mentioned side 6. The structure of claim 1 in which said pressure liner is a T-shaped liner.

References Cited .by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,647,604 11/27 Bucher 229-15 1,911,215 5/33 Walter 206-45.31 2,069,747 2/ 37 Atkins 217-40 2,124,808 7/38 White et al. 229-27 2,147,675 2/ 39 Shoemaker et al 229-27 2,327,529 8/43 Kieckhefer et al. 229--15 2,453,574 11/48 Hill.

2,729,326 l/56 Stadnyk 20G-44.12 2,731,191 1/56 Layne 229-15 2,801,742V 8/57 Farrell.

3,108,689 10/63 Lambert 206-65 3,111,223 11/63 Jacobi 206-65 THERON E. CONDON, Primary Examiner.

GEORGE O. RALSTON, Examiner. 

1. A SHIPPING AND DISPLAY PACKAGE, COMPRISING A GENERALLY RECTANGULAR CASE HAVING LONGITUDINAL SIDES PROVIDED WITH SMALL SPACED OPENINGS ADAPTED TO RECEIVE INDICIA-STAMPING INSTRUMENTS, CARTONS STACKED UPON EACH OTHER IN SAID CASE WITH THEIR ENDS ADJACENT SAID APERTURED SIDES AND WITH AN END OF EACH CARTON ADJACENT ONE OF SAID OPENINGS, AND A REMOVABLE PRESSURE LINE EXTENDING CENTRALLY AND TRANSVERSELY OF SAID CASE BETWEEN SAID VERTICALLY-STACKED CARTONS AND ANCHORING THE SAME IN RIGID ALIGNMENT WITH SAID OPENINGS, SAID LINER BEING REMOVABLE TO FREE SAID CARTONS FOR REMOVAL. 